Meaning of Motivation

Meaning of Motivation

Motivation is derived from the word ‘motive’ which means moving into action. Motivation is the set of forces within a person that affect the direction, intensity and continuous existence of voluntary behaviour.

Motivation is a general term applying to the entire class of drives, desires, needs, wishes and similar forces. Motivation is the process of channeling a person’s inner drives, so that he works to accomplish the goals of organisation.

Motivation is the process that account for an individual’s intensity, direction and persistence of effort toward attaining the goal. While general motivation is concerned with effort toward any goal, organisational goals are narrowed down to focus in order to reflect our singular interest in work-related behaviour. Motivated individuals stay with a task for a long period inorder to achieve their goal.Motivation in management refers to the ways in which managers promote productivity of their employees.

The process of motivation is represented as:

1. Need

Motivation process starts from needs or expectation . If employees has no need or expectation they cannot be motivated. Employees run to address or to solve the need or expectation. Need or expectation is a very important process of motivation. Manager of the business organisation must pay proper consideration towards needs and expectation of the employees. Food is a relevant example of it.

2. Drive / Action:

Drive is action oriented. After developing an expectation, people seek a job. The action is needed to address the need or expectation. Without action, employees cannot solve the food problems. Thus, when need occurs the people move for its implementation.

3. Incentives

Incentive is the last process of motivation. After having the job, employees should be provided with competitive wages. It supports to solve and address the need or expectation. Employees come into an organisation to sell their knowledge, skill and labour. For such selling of their labour, employees will get incentives.

Special motivational techniques include using money, encouraging participation and improving the Quality of Working Life of an employee.